Nan Aron, President of Alliance for Justice, guest blogs for Eric Alterman today at Altercation on judicial nominations and the fate of the courts. Lots of information and we agree with her views. Here's a piece of Nan's column.

" At the end of the congressional session, all nominations are returned to the White House. We anticipate the president will make known his nominations for the next Congress early in the new year. With the Republicans at the helm in the Senate, it is likely that the process will be accelerated. But the standards for evaluating judicial nominees must remain high — no matter which party controls the process.

In light of the election results, there has been some speculation that the president will renominate those already defeated by the Committee. This would be an insult to the institution of the Senate, which has already performed its constitutional duty. The president has insisted he wants to work in a bipartisan fashion for the good of the country. The morning after the election, President Bush continued to reinforce his “uniter” message by saying, “I’ve talked to leaders of both parties and assured them I want to work with them.” We take him at his word; however, we will most certainly watch his deeds. To force the Senate to reconsider these nominees after it has done its work would be an ultimate politicization of the process.

The Alliance for Justice will continue to fight for cherished rights on behalf of the American people who do not want judges who favor big business against the interests of consumers and workers, who will restrict reproductive freedom, and who seek to roll back progress made in the areas of civil rights and environmental protection."

Nan also recommends Independent Judiciary.com